Tuition and Living Accommodation Costs (TLAC)

Summary of changes

Activity on this program started: 1972-1973

Reference period of change - 2025/2026

Starting with the 2025/2026 cycle, the 2021 revision of the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) replaced the 2016 version used to classify degree programs into TLAC Fields of study.

Reference period of change - 2019/2020

As of 2019/2020, a new methodology was used to calculate the weighted average tuition fees for Executive and Regular Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programs. This change resulted in a more accurate reflection of the proportion of MBA students enrolled in executive and regular programs. This methodology was applied to the data from 2011/2012 onwards and results in a change in weighted average tuition fees for these programs in some provinces.

Reference period of change - 2016/2017

As of 2016/2017, the data provided by degree-granting colleges have been included in the weighted average calculations, and the detailed breakdown of Additional Compulsory Fees by field of study was eliminated.

Reference period of change - 2010/2011

As of 2010/2011, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs have been excluded from the national and provincial weighted averages to eliminate the impact of the high cost of these programs on the overall tuition fee average.

Reference period of change - 2007/2008

In 2007/2008, the TLAC questionnaire was restructured to correspond with the adoption of the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes. Previously, the survey used the Major Fields of Study (MFS) classification. As a result, the fields of study for which the TLAC survey collects and disseminates data were mapped to the CIP. The CIP is developed jointly by Statistics Canada and the National Center for Education Statistics.